Utility cement mixing box



y 1950 R. WEBSTER El AL 2,507,874

UTILITY CEMENT MIXING BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 30, 1948 INVENTORS R.L.web.s is]- E H). Crew flui: 710ml:

May 16, 1950 R. WEBSTER ET AL 2,507,874

UTILITY CEMENT MIXING BOX Filed Aug. so, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS R.L. Webster 15. Z27. Crew mwi/ ATTORNEYS Patented May 16, 1950 UTILITY CEMENT MIXING BOX Rockwell L. Webster and Ernest W. Crew, Porter-ville, Calif.

Application August 30, 1948, Serial No. 46,902

This invention relates to, and it is an object to provide, a handy, compact, readily manually portable cement mixing box for the purpose of making cement mix in small quantity for sundry types of jobs; the box, however, being especially designed for use by a farm worker to cement small metallic irrigation gates in openings formed in concrete irrigation pipe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cement mixing box which is arranged to removably support a number of hand tools, and a screen removably disposed on said box; the latter including a novel handle or bail arrangement by means of which said box and the removable elements supported thereby can be easily carried from place to place by a worker. In other words, the box, the hand tools, and the screen are in unitary relation for ease of movement from place to place.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a cement mixing box which includes a novel carrying arrangement for a number of small, metallic irrigation gates, which are to be installed at points along a cement pipe line.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cement mixing box which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture, and is light-weight, yet sturdy in construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practical and convenient cement mixing box, and one which will be exceedingly efiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the box, as in use.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box with the parts in carrying position.

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the box as in Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the utility cement mixing box is indicated generally at I; being constructed of a light-weight sheet metal, such as aluminum.

The box I is rectangular in plan, and includes longitudinal upstanding side plates 2 connected together by a bottom plate I, which bottom plate includes upwardly and longitudinally inclined end plates 4 which extend upward to the upper edges of the side plates 2 at a point adjacent, but short of, corresponding ends of the latter.

The above is a rigid assembly and forms the 3 Claims. (Cl. 259145) open-topped pan or box in which cement, in small quantity. is adapted to be mixed.

The numeral 5 indicates a very small fingermanipulated hoe, which includes a handle 6; such hoe initially being disposed within the box lengthtudinal edges thereof, which flanges extend down the side plates 2 to normally prevent lateral displacement of the screen 1.

A pair of longitudinally extending wire rod bails 9, of generally inverted U-shape, are provided; each being connected, at its ends, by loops 10 which extend through openings H in the upper corners of the corresponding side plate 2. The wire rod bails 9 include, at their apex, straight portions l2 which are initially in adjacent parallel relation, extending through a, tubular handle I3.

The tubular handle l3 includes a longitudinal slot l4, normally on top, as shown in Fig. 3.

At one end the box I is fitted with a cross rod I5 which extends between the side plates 2 outwardly of, but adjacent, the corresponding end plate 4 some distance below the plane of the upper edges of the side plates 2. This cross rod IS. in cooperation with the adjacent end plate 4, provides a support for certain hand tools adapted to be used in connection with a cement mixing and applying operation. These tools include, for example, trowels l6, whose blades are removably engaged between'the cross rod and the adjacent end plate 4. There is also a brush I! having a transverse tubular handle l8, from which a metallic tongue 19 radiates; such tongue being removably engaged between the cross rod 15 and the adjacent end plate 4 in brush-supporting relation.

At the opposite end of the box, it is fitted with a cross strip 20 which extends between the ends of the side plates 2 adjacent, but short of, their upper edges. This cross strip 20, together with the upper edge of the adjacent end plate 4, provides a support for a, plurality of very small type metallic irrigation gates 2|. The gates 2i depend between said cross strip 20 and adjacent end plate 4, with a portion of said gates being on the upper edges of such parts. In this manner the small irrigation gates which are to be installed by the worker are carried directly on the cement mixing box in a convenient and accessible position.

The above described utility cement mixing box is used as follows:

For transport or carrying by hand from place to place the box and its parts and tools are assembled, as in Figs. 2 and 3, whereby all may be carried by one hand of the worker.

When the box is to be used, the tubular handle I3 is rotated sufiicient to permit the straight parts l2 of the wire rod bails 9' to escape through the longitudinal slot I4, whereupon the handle I3 is removed, and said bails are swung laterally outwardly from their full-line position of Fig. 3 to their outwardly and downwardly inclined, outof-the-way position shown in dotted lines in said figure.

Thereafter the screen 1 is lifted, the hoe 5 removed from the box, and the screen replaced.

The next step is to work the sand, cement, and other ingredients of the mix through the screen I from above and into the :box; this being done by use of the hoe 5.

After the mix is screened, the screen 1 is removed from the box and set aside, whereupon the hoe 5 is used in connection with the working of the mix in the box; including the addition of water.

After the mix is completed in the box, the tools, such as the trowels I6 and brush I1, are removed from the box and used in connection with the application of the mix to the job, which may be the application of one of the irrigation gates 20, by cement mix, to a cement pipe line wherein a receiving hole has already been prepared.

The upwardly inclined end plates 4 not only facilitate the working of the mix in the box, but provide an effective bearing surface for the blades of the trowels I6 etc., which are engaged between the cross rod I5 and the adjacent end plate 4.

The described utility cement mixing box avoids the necessity of carrying a bucket, tools, etc.-all separatelyfor the performance of ,a cement mixing and applying operation; the box being a practical and convenient device for the intended purpose, carrying within itself all the necessary equipment for the job.

From the foregoing description it will be readily 4 seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as to do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A utility box for the purpose described comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart substantially rectangular sides, a bottom and end secured between the sides, the upper edges of the ends terminating short of the outer ends of the sides, a cross rod extending between the sides at adjacent ends thereof and said rod being spaced from the adjacent end and lying in substantial parallelism therewith and at a point below the top edges of the sides, and a handle means attached to the box.

2. A box as in claim 1 in which the handle means comprises a pair of bails each hinged to the projecting ends of one of the sides and which bails are of a size to permit them to be brought together above the central vertical longitudinal plane of the box.

3. A box as in claim 1 including a screen mounted over the top of the box within the area defined by the top edges of both sides and ends of the box.

ROCKWELL L. WEBSTER. ERNEST W. CREW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 141,737 Tibbetts Aug. 12, 1873 1,776,915 Lentz Sept. 30, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,752 Great Britain Mar. 16, 1899 

